Jimmy Kimmel returned to the air Tuesday night after nearly a week-long suspension but stopped short of issuing a full apology for his controversial comments about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
In his emotional monologue on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the late-night host said he never intended to make light of Kirk’s death, which occurred earlier this month at a Utah Valley University event.
Kimmel attempted to clarify earlier remarks suggesting that the suspected shooter, Tyler Robinson, was affiliated with the MAGA movement.
“You understand that it was never my intention to make light of a murder of a young man. I don’t think there’s anything funny about it,” Kimmel told the studio audience, which gave him multiple standing ovations. “For those who think I did point a finger, I get why you’re upset.”
While he avoided a direct apology, Kimmel praised Kirk’s widow, Erika, for publicly forgiving her husband’s alleged killer. “That’s it. A selfless act of grace,” he said.
The show, suspended last week by ABC after backlash from conservatives, resumed amid criticism from former President Donald Trump and ongoing boycotts against Disney.
Some ABC affiliates owned by Sinclair said they would not air Kimmel’s program.